When Yang Kai asked this, a flash of sorrow crossed Chai Hu's face, while Ghost Ancestor and the others all looked thoroughly ashamed.
"Oh..." Yang Kai suddenly let out a low exclamation of surprise, as if he had noticed something. He reached out toward Chai Hu and said, "Forgive me!"
Even as he spoke, he placed his hand on Chai Hu's wrist and released his Source Force to probe the man's body.
A moment later, he looked up at Chai Hu and said, "Senior Chai, has your cultivation realm fallen?"
He had detected the presence of Source Force inside Chai Hu's body! This was virtually impossible. After all, given Chai Hu's cultivation at the Void King Stage Three, the power within his body should still be at the Sacred Yuan level. Only upon advancing to the Dao Source Realm would one's energy begin converting into Source Force.
But the reality was otherwise. There were unmistakable traces of Source Force within Chai Hu's body. The only explanation for this was that Chai Hu had once been a Dao Source Realm cultivator—some of his power had already been converted to Source Force—though for reasons unknown, his realm had subsequently fallen.
Chai Hu let out a bitter laugh. "The little brother is right."
Ghost Ancestor also heaved a heavy sigh. "Half a year ago, when we went out to gain experience together, we encountered a group of eleventh-rank demon beasts. We were outnumbered and scattered. Fourth Brother stayed behind alone to buy us time, and he was caught off guard and gravely wounded. His dantian was damaged. After recuperating for a while when he returned, it turned out like this. Fourth Brother also lost an eye in that battle."
Red Moon said with a look of self-blame, "If we had all stayed behind back then, this might never have happened."
Gu Cangyun and Ai Ou said little, but their faces were full of guilt. Clearly, they had been unable to let go of what happened, believing that they bore a great deal of responsibility for Chai Hu's misfortune.
A cultivator's realm falling was no small matter. Once a realm dropped, it might never be restored. One's path in the Martial Dao would be permanently blocked. For a warrior who pursued higher realms, this was essentially a death sentence—and one more agonizing than actual death.
Seeing their desolate expressions, Chai Hu said, "Why are you all pulling those faces? You're making it sound like I'm about to die. It's just a temporary realm drop. It's not like I can't cultivate my way back up."
He put on a carefree air, but everyone present knew all too well how astronomically slim the chances of a realm recovery truly were.
The atmosphere in the private room grew oppressively heavy.
Yang Kai suddenly spoke up. "Senior Chai, when you've been channeling your power these past half year, does your dantian not hurt?"
Chai Hu blinked, unsure why Yang Kai was asking, but answered honestly. "It does on occasion. After all, my dantian was genuinely damaged in that battle half a year ago. There are probably some lingering aftereffects."
Yang Kai nodded. "And when you circulate your power, do you also feel a sense of obstruction?"
"Exactly. Sometimes my meridians ache with pressure, and my power doesn't flow smoothly." Chai Hu said this with a note of admiration. Though Yang Kai was only a minor realm above him, he had gleaned a precise understanding of his condition with just a brief probe—proof that his divine sense was extraordinarily powerful.
Red Moon's expression shifted, and she looked at Yang Kai with a glimmer of hope. "Have you discovered something?"
Yang Kai mused for a moment, then withdrew his hand. "Senior Chai's condition may not be caused by dantian damage."
"Then what is it?" Chai Hu's eyes went wide. The others all looked toward Yang Kai curiously, eager to hear what he meant.
"Senior Chai, would you lift your shirt and let me see your abdomen?" Yang Kai asked instead of answering.
Chai Hu nodded and raised a hand to lift his shirt, but almost immediately seemed to think better of it. He looked up at Red Moon and said, "Fifth Sister, turn around."
Red Moon curled her lip dismissively. "What's the big deal about a quick look? So coy about it!"
Chai Hu broke into a sweat. "A man and a woman must observe proper boundaries."
Red Moon's pretty face turned stern, and she huffed, "Are you going to lift it or not? If you don't, I'll do it for you."
"Fine, fine, fine! I'll do it myself!" Chai Hu was thoroughly intimidated by her fiery temper. He knew that if he kept dithering, she would really make good on her threat, so he stopped hesitating and pulled up his shirt.
In an instant, several pairs of eyes fixed on his abdomen.
"Oh, what's that?" Red Moon suddenly cried out, her beautiful eyes locked on the area around Chai Hu's dantian.
"What?" Chai Hu froze. He looked down himself, and in the next instant his eyes went wide with shock. "What the hell is this?"
On his abdomen, several dark red lines had appeared, crisscrossing each other in an intricate pattern that seemed to conceal hidden meaning. These lines were clearly not something he had been born with—they had appeared due to some unknown cause.
"Fifth Brother, you didn't know about these?" Ghost Ancestor stared at Chai Hu in astonishment.
Chai Hu shook his head, looking completely bewildered.
Red Moon immediately regarded him with disdain. "How long has it been since you last bathed? You can't even tell what's on your own body. No wonder you smell so foul."
Ch sheepish smile crept across Chai Hu's face. "I'll bathe soon, I'll bathe soon!"
Yang Kai said thoughtfully from the side, "As I suspected."
At these words, Ai Ou looked over at him eagerly. "Kid Yang, you know something, don't you? Spit it out!"
Everyone turned their attention to Yang Kai, their faces full of anticipation.
Yang Kai said, "Senior Chai's falling realm was probably not caused by dantian damage."
"Then what caused it?" several voices asked in unison.
"Poison!" Yang Kai answered.